05 fiesta issue
Discussion
Hi all. i have an 05 1.4. fiesta zetec. its in bloody good nick . had it a year and its been a cracker with no issues whatsoever. over the last week or so its developed a problem. seems to have lost a bit of power and when i put my foot on the accelerator it does pick up speed albeit slower than normal and seems to rev a lot more. yesterday on the m62 it seemed to struggle on the hilly bits does not matter what gear im in and seems to take ages to pick up speed. ive checked the hoses for air getting in , and sure its not the head gasket .
i was thinking could be the clutch slipping as the power is not getting to the wheels. I'm not brilliant with car mechanics, i know basics and obviously if it is the clutch it will go to my usual garage . my question is is this normal behavior of a slippy clutch as ive not had it before ..or any clutch issues. still seems to hold on the biting point without any bother too.
also any ideas of what sort of costs i would be looking at if i need it replacing . i understand its a fairly big job dropping the gearbox etc but dont want to be raped in the wallet so an idea or rough guesstimate from the more enlightened would help a lot. cheers.
p.s. bloody typical this happens when i have tax m.o.t. and insurance due !!
i was thinking could be the clutch slipping as the power is not getting to the wheels. I'm not brilliant with car mechanics, i know basics and obviously if it is the clutch it will go to my usual garage . my question is is this normal behavior of a slippy clutch as ive not had it before ..or any clutch issues. still seems to hold on the biting point without any bother too.
also any ideas of what sort of costs i would be looking at if i need it replacing . i understand its a fairly big job dropping the gearbox etc but dont want to be raped in the wallet so an idea or rough guesstimate from the more enlightened would help a lot. cheers.
p.s. bloody typical this happens when i have tax m.o.t. and insurance due !!
A slipping clutch would usually show up first as the clutch not pulling the engine revs down quickly when you pull away from stationary. It would be very unusual for it to slip noticeably when you are cruising in top gear, and if it did slip under those conditions then it would result in a lot of smoke and heat and destroy the clutch pretty quickly. It sounds more as if you just have an engine that is down on power, although your comment that it seems to 'rev more' seems at odds with that.
Given your lack of experience diagnosing this type of problem I suggest it is not sensible for you to try to diagnose this for yourself or rely on other people to diagnose it without seeing the car. It would be better to take it to a reliable local mechanic and ask them what they think the problem is and what fix they would recommend.
Given your lack of experience diagnosing this type of problem I suggest it is not sensible for you to try to diagnose this for yourself or rely on other people to diagnose it without seeing the car. It would be better to take it to a reliable local mechanic and ask them what they think the problem is and what fix they would recommend.
Get it looked at by a mechanic, dont take this the wronge way but some of what you said contradicts the other things you said, get it looked at, it will take a mechanic 2 mins to diagnose a slipping clutch, i understand you dont trust mechanics but ask about and use one somone else uses, or just pop in a couple of garages and let them look at it, non will charge you to look at it , if they wanr to walk away, not all mechanics are out to rip you off !
OK things to look at, when you pres the throttle if the revs go up but the road speed doesn't the clutch is slipping, if it holds on a slope on the clutch it's probably OK but try stalling it in 2nd gear (pull away in 2nd with too little throttle), if it stalls the clutch is ok, if the revs dont rise without the roadspeed it may just be down on power, have a look at the air filter, has it been changed recently?, spray the inlet hoses with carb cleaner or WD 40 with the engine idling, if at any point the revs rise you have just sprayed an inlet leak.
zetec SE specific issues, behind the inlet manifold is a breather pipe to the throttle body, they split and suck in unmetred air which is bad, the throttle bodys need a clean every now and then and the plug holes car fill with water, remove the plug leads and look for rust marks around the plug.
fiesta specific issues, if the plug holes are rusty, remove and seal the screen washer jets on the bonnet, a bit of masic will do, they let water in where they meet the bonnet and it runs over the filter housing and into the plug holes.
OK things to look at, when you pres the throttle if the revs go up but the road speed doesn't the clutch is slipping, if it holds on a slope on the clutch it's probably OK but try stalling it in 2nd gear (pull away in 2nd with too little throttle), if it stalls the clutch is ok, if the revs dont rise without the roadspeed it may just be down on power, have a look at the air filter, has it been changed recently?, spray the inlet hoses with carb cleaner or WD 40 with the engine idling, if at any point the revs rise you have just sprayed an inlet leak.
zetec SE specific issues, behind the inlet manifold is a breather pipe to the throttle body, they split and suck in unmetred air which is bad, the throttle bodys need a clean every now and then and the plug holes car fill with water, remove the plug leads and look for rust marks around the plug.
fiesta specific issues, if the plug holes are rusty, remove and seal the screen washer jets on the bonnet, a bit of masic will do, they let water in where they meet the bonnet and it runs over the filter housing and into the plug holes.
Thanks for the advice all, going to take it to the garage and let a pro have a look. There are no warning lights and the issue has only started in the last 2 weeks . It was last serviced about 6 months ago and has been regularly. hoping its nothing too serious or expensive though. As i say it needs m.o.t this week anyway so am just going to take it in , get it sorted and then have them do the mot . get it all sorted together.
Bit of an update, took the car into the local garage to be looked at. they ran the diagnostic stuff. told me almost immediately it was not the clutch, plus i did what i was advised before taking it, put it into second and it stalled. the diagnostic showed it is the coil pack that is failing. and even better was told its a quick easy fix and that as well as other its common to experience power loss and not get the acceleration. been told it will be about 80 to a 100 quid for parts and labor. so booked in for Wednesday and get the m.o.t. done too. thanks for the advice all
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